The circular economy can be integrated at each stage of a packaging’s life cycle: design, production, distribution, use, and recovery.
Although packaging is essential to protect certain products, the circular economyThe circular economy is a restorative and regenerative economy. By maintaining the value of the products, materials and resources in the economy through smart product design, repurposing and/or shared use of products, it reduces the extraction of natural resources by using resources already present in the economy. integrates packaging strategies aimed at reducing waste production or introducing a method of consumption that favours the repurposingRepurposing designates all operations by which substances, materials or products that have become waste are used again. of packaging, all the while ensuring that products are protected.
The quantity of waste generated by packaging can be reduced by limiting the quantity of materials used for each package. Companies can opt for more sustainable or more recyclable materials, whilst still guaranteeing that the packaging works effectively.
Incorporating recycled materials in the manufacturing of packaging reduces the quantity of new resources required. Recycled materials can be obtained from consumer or industrial waste, which avoids producing new materials.
Certain types of packaging can be used several times before being recycled or eliminated. They can be incorporated into a rental or deposit model, recovered after use and returned to circulation. Certain companies offer a sub-contracted deposit management system to deal with recovery and cleaning.
Packaging can be chosen based on its potential for recycling, through cooperations that guarantee optimum sorting of end-of-life packaging and re-routing to the appropriate sorting centres. Certain types of packaging can be composted, or even eaten!
